by Laura Ann
Scarlett sighed, some of her happiness fading. I’m almost there, Mom. Just a few more days and I’ll live that dream for you and for me. A quick smile broke across Scarlett’s face as she thought of her mother’s favorite words. “The only thing better than riding a horse would be riding one with a handsome cowboy to hold onto. Mmm.” Louise would close her eyes and smile. “Cowboys are everything that’s right with this world.”
One specific handsome cowboy crept into Scarlett’s thoughts and she paused her movement. Noah. He’s handsome, but he’s also slightly moody, frowns a lot and... She sighed. He also makes my stomach tingle and my heart race. Just what is a girl supposed to do about that?
Scarlett shook her head. “There’s hardly enough time for anything romantic to happen, even if I wanted it to.” She walked over to the paddock fence, watching the sleek horses walk around. The workers had saddled several and were getting them ready for guests to ride. The excitement at marking this off her bucket list began to build again. “Almost there,” she murmured. “Almost there.”
“What was that?” Betsy asked from Scarlett’s left.
Scarlett jerked her head that direction and smiled. “Hey, Betsy. I didn’t see you walk up. Are you ready to ride?”
“Been ready for ages,” Betsy quipped. “But we better get a move on. At this point in my life, I don’t know how many ages I have left.”
Scarlett laughed as intended. “Awesome.” She took her eyes back to the horses. “Which one do you want to ride?”
Betsy pointed to the oldest-looking horse in the pen. “That one.”
“What?” Scarlett laughed. “Don’t you want one that can actually move faster than a slug? I thought you were so ready to get going?”
Betsy shrugged. “I am, but I also know my limits. It’s been long enough that I probably shouldn’t do anything crazy.”
“I’m pretty sure crazy is your middle name,” Scarlett muttered teasingly.
“I thought we went over this. It’s subtle...or maybe matchmaker.”
Scarlett smiled. “Except we’re not doing that, right?” Her smile dropped when Betsy didn’t answer. “Betsy...” Scarlett warned. “We talked about this.”
“We did,” Betsy admitted with a firm nod. “But that didn’t mean I agreed to anything.”
A loud whistle caught their attention, ending their chat. “Welcome, ladies and gents,” Mr. MacMillan shouted to the crowd. Slowly, everyone crowded around him as he started calling out instructions. “We’re going to split you into a couple different groups, and your assigned helper knows where you belong. Although we have enough horses for everyone, it takes extra time when it’s the first time. So, rather than ask people to sit around for hours, we’ll give some of you a chance to do other things and then tomorrow we’ll swap.”
Scarlett’s heart fell. She had been more excited for the horses than anything else. If she was in the second group, she would have to wait another whole day to ride them, and at the moment, that felt like an eternity. Please say I’m in the first group. Please say I’m in the first group.
Mr. MacMillan lifted a piece of paper. “Noah, Levi, and Oliver. You’re with the horses first. Everyone else, please gather over by the equipment barn.” Mr. MacMillan stepped down from his hay bale and Scarlett had to hold back her excited squeal.
Yes, yes, yes! Scarlett kept her face composed, even though her heart was doing the tango, and walked over toward the cowboys. Noah was standing next to one of the horses, whispering and smiling as he rubbed its forelock. The sight made Scarlett nearly drool. Noah looked so happy, and that sent his handsome factor through the roof. He should definitely smile more often.
Noah looked up and their eyes met. For a split second, Scarlett thought she saw something soften in them before his usual stoic expression came back.
Disappointed, she walked up to him and stuffed her hand in her back pockets. “Hey,” she said cheerily, hoping to bring back his happiness from a moment before. “Ready to ride?”
Noah offered her a crooked smile. “Are you?”
“I thought we already discussed this.” Scarlett tossed her ponytail over her shoulder and stood straight. “I was born ready.”
Noah chuckled and shook his head.
Scarlett stepped forward and began petting the horse Noah was with. “Boy or girl?”
Noah smirked. “Girl.”
“Name?”
“Dolly,” Noah supplied. He patted her neck. “I was just saying good morning to her. This isn’t who you’re riding, though.”
Scarlett frowned. “Oh.”
“You’re riding him.” Noah pointed across the pen where another horse stood, tied to a stake. His head was held high and he looked much taller than docile little Dolly.
Scarlett felt her eyes widen. “Whoa.”
Noah’s chuckle turned into a laugh. “Yeah. That’s what everyone says.” He tilted his head toward the horse. “That’s Romeo.”
Scarlett raised an eyebrow. “And just why is he named after a famous seducer?”
Noah leaned down until his fresh outdoors smell enveloped Scarlett. She had to fight to keep her lungs from sucking it in greedily. “Guess you’ll have to find out,” he teased. He straightened, taking his smell and warmth with him. “Let’s go.”
NOAH HAD TO GIVE HER credit. Old Romeo was about as pretty as a horse comes, but he was also a large animal. Just as Noah had said, Romeo hadn’t been named by chance. Between his size and his looks, the horse knew how to command a crowd. Or a pen. Whatever.
“We going or what?” Scarlett called out over her shoulder.
Noah hurried to her side. “So do you have any experience with horses at all?” he asked, looking for a safe topic.
“Not unless you count electric bucking broncos and ro—”
“Romance novels,” Noah finished dryly. “Got it.”
Scarlett scowled at him. “Don’t knock it, buster. If it wasn’t for those stories, I wouldn’t be here.”
He rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat. So much for a safe topic. “First off, let me introduce you to the horse.”
Scarlett’s face lit up as she stepped up to the handsome gelding. “Who wouldn’t want to get to know such a hunk, huh?”
That darned trickle of jealousy slithered down Noah’s spine again, and he had to shove down the desire to step in front of the horse so she would talk to and caress him instead. “Yeah...he’s a beaut, all right.” Noah pasted on a smile and pretended to be formal. “Scarlett, this is Romeo. Romeo...Scarlett.”
Romeo snorted and began nibbling on Scarlett’s hair. She giggled and swatted him away. “No flirting, big boy.”
“I told you he got his name for a reason,” Noah finally said. He walked to the side of the horse. “This” —he patted the leather— “is a saddle. This is the stirrup.”
“And I do believe that,” she said as she pointed to part of the saddle, “is the saddle horn.”
“Let me guess. The romances taught you that?”
Scarlett snorted. “Nope. John Wayne.”
Noah paused. John Wayne? Why is she watching John Wayne movies? I don’t think I want to know. “Right.” He shook his head. “Now, we’re gonna put your left foot in the stirrup and then you have to step up and swing your right leg over.”
Scarlett’s smile was wide as she nodded. It was easy to see she was eager to get started.
Noah eyed her size and the height to the stirrup. “We might need to get you a mounting block,” he mused.
“What?” Scarlett put her hands on her hips. “Are you calling me short?”
Noah put a hand to his chest and widened his eyes. “I would never.”
“I don’t believe you,” Scarlett shot back, but her lips twitched, giving away her feelings.
“We treat our guests with the utmost respect here at Sagebrush Ranch,” Noah said, putting his nose in the air. “I’d never call someone short. We use height-challenged.”
Scarlett gave h
im a dry look. “I don’t think that’s any better.”
Noah shrugged. “All right. We can go with short.”
Scarlett chuckled. “How about we give it a try before you bring out the kiddie supplies, hm?”
Noah nodded. “That’s fine. But don’t hurt yourself.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Scarlett eyed the stirrup and walked up to the horse. Grabbing the side of the saddle, she tried to bring her foot up, but it wasn’t even close.
Noah pinched his lips together as she grumbled and tried again, but it just was not happening.
Huffing, Scarlett spun, but caught the toe of her boot in the dirt and pitched forward.
Noah jumped over and grabbed her. “Whoa, there.” Scarlett was lying back against his chest, his arms holding hers. He looked down, her face only inches below his. He swallowed hard. The heat that always formed between them became more potent each time they touched, and right now in this intimate position, it was a raging inferno.
Forcing himself to push her into an upright position, Noah did his best to act as if that hadn’t just shaken his world. He took off his hat and scratched the back of his head. “I’ll, uh, go get that block.”
When he came back, Noah kept his gaze down. This is only day two! How are we going to handle this for another twelve days? “All righty. Step up here and we’ll get you seated.”
“Sounds good,” Scarlett said, waiting for him to put the block down. She stepped up and carefully slid her boot into the stirrup.
“Now grab the saddle horn and swing your weight over,” Noah instructed. She bounced a couple of times, trying to move her momentum, and Noah stepped forward. Reaching out, he grabbed her around the waist and helped her move her body where it needed to go.
Romeo shifted a little when she landed with a plop, and Noah hung on when Scarlett gasped at the movement.
“Easy, boy,” Noah murmured over his shoulder, waiting until the horse had stopped moving. He brought his eyes back to Scarlett, suddenly noticing he still had a grip on her. Instantly, he dropped his hold and clenched his hands into tight fists. They were warm and tingling from holding her, and it frustrated Noah. Why now? he asked again. Why couldn’t this have happened earlier? Or later? Or down in Arizona?
“Everything all right?”
Scarlett’s quiet question brought Noah out of his angry thoughts. “Yeah. Sorry.” He shook himself and squinted up at her. “You look good up there. Like you belong.” And she did. Just like in the barn that morning, the picture of a beautiful girl and a beautiful horse would stay branded in his mind for a long time.
Scarlett gave him a sly smile. “Want to know something?”
“Sure.”
She leaned down. “I’ve always wanted to try something.”
Noah waited, then pressed. “What?”
Scarlett lifted her hat off her head and swung it in the air. “Hi, ho, Silver!” she cried.
Shoot, Noah thought as Romeo bolted away at her words.
CHAPTER 7
Scarlett couldn’t get enough air into her lungs to scream. Instead, she held onto the saddle horn as if it would save her life while bouncing around like a ragdoll. Since her mouth wouldn’t work, she sent multiple prayers heavenward that Romeo would calm down, but as the horse continued to trot, Scarlett could feel herself sliding farther and farther to the left. Her vision started to turn black as she held her breath, and Scarlett squeezed her eyes shut, knowing the next few moments were going to hurt.
All the shouts and noise around her seemed to grow silent as Scarlett felt herself begin to freefall, but before she could hit the ground, something tugged on her around the middle. Her breath escaped in a harsh whoosh and her eyes bulged open, but she didn’t hit the dirt.
For a moment, she hung suspended in the air, unsure if she was going to throw up or if she should risk standing. It took her a moment to realize that strong arms were wrapped around her, and they slowly turned her so she was facing up.
Scarlett squinted against the harsh sun, trying to see who was holding her. Her breathing was shallow and her mind was still struggling to catch up with all that had happened, but the face above her slowly became clear.
“Scarlett? Can you hear me?” Noah’s deep voice was raspy, his concern easy to hear.
She reached up and patted his cheek. “I don’t think Romeo likes The Lone Ranger,” she whispered before everything promptly went black.
When she came to, Scarlett could tell she had been brought inside. A soft cushion was under her head and several voices were murmuring above her. She fluttered her eyes open and quickly sat up. When the room spun a little, she bent over and put a hand to her forehead. “Whoa. Too fast.”
“Scarlett!”
The couch she was sitting on dipped and the voices in the room quieted. Slower this time, Scarlett opened her eyes and looked sideways to see Noah’s worried face very close to her own. His dark eyes were rounded and the corners of his firm mouth turned down. Scarlett felt her heart rate pick up as his heat enveloped her, and that delicious, outdoorsy smell once again hit her nostrils. Oh my word. Now is not the time to be crushing on the cowboy, she scolded herself. “Hey,” she said lamely, her voice soft and slightly hoarse.
Noah brought a hand up, then dropped it right before touching her, and Scarlett felt a pang of disappointment. “How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Like an idiot,” she scoffed.
Noah frowned.
Scarlett gave him a look. “Are you telling me you regularly have people fall off horses because they quote The Lone Ranger? Or maybe faint because they hold their breath in fear?” Noah pinched his lips together and Scarlett groaned, burying her face in her hands. “That’s what I thought.”
Noah chuckled. “While I have to admit The Lone Ranger thing was new, falling off isn’t.”
Scarlett peeked from between her fingers.
“At least one person falls off every session,” he assured her.
Scarlett narrowed her eyes, studying his sincerity. “You’re just trying to make me feel better.”
Noah opened his mouth, then paused and slumped. “Yeah. I was just trying to make you feel better.”
Scarlett gaped at him. “Jerk!” she cried, slapping his shoulder. She couldn’t help but smile when Noah laughed, clutching his arm as if she’d actually hurt him. “Wait.” Scarlett scooted so she was sitting up. “You caught me! Right?”
Noah rubbed the back of his neck and grimaced. “Yeah.”
Scarlett tilted her head to the side and smiled gratefully. “Noah...that was really awesome of you.” She scooched forward on the cushion until she was really close. “Thank you,” she whispered, then kissed his cheek softly. His skin was slightly rough from his facial hair and the sensation caused her lips to tingle pleasantly.
A visible shudder went through Noah and he turned to look at her. That ever present chemistry went from one to sixty immediately. Scarlett took in a long, slow breath, watching his amazing hazel eyes as they jumped from one emotion to the other.
Her cheeks started to slowly heat up and her breathing grew faster as Noah’s gaze focused on her mouth. Slowly, his head began to tilt toward hers. The tension in the air was sparking like the Fourth of July, and Scarlett was half afraid that she would pass out before their mouths ever met. Just as she felt the first brush of his lips, a throat cleared from the other side of the room and Scarlett squealed, jumping back from Noah and whacking her head on the lamp next to the couch.
“Ow...” she whined, rubbing her head and squinting at their audience. Oh, man...could things get any worse? Mr. and Mrs. MacMillan were both standing there with a young woman and a teenage boy. There was a wide variety of expressions, from amusement to shock, but all Scarlett felt was horror. I am the world’s biggest idiot! Who gets so caught up in a man that they don’t realize other people are in the room?
Mr. MacMillan seemed to be fighting laughter as he smiled politely at Scarlett. “Ms. Dylan, we’re so glad to see you’re
up and awake.”
Scarlett nodded and tried to smile back, but she was almost positive it was more of a grimace. “Me too,” she said dumbly.
“Let me get you a glass of water,” Mrs. MacMillan gushed, hurrying from the room. Her wide eyes and eyebrows near her hairline told Scarlett everything she needed to know about Noah’s mother’s reaction to the kiss.
Scarlett ducked her head down and glanced at Noah, who was sitting ramrod straight with a stoic expression on his face. Crud. This just keeps getting better and better.
“Thank you,” Scarlett said softly when a glass was pushed into her hands.
Mrs. MacMillan smiled and nodded, then backed up next to her husband.
Everyone stared at each other for a moment and Scarlett squirmed in her seat, unsure what to do.
“I’m Violet,” the young woman said, stepping forward. “We haven’t officially met, though I’m around. I’m helping some of the other campers.”
Scarlett nodded. “I’ve seen you.” She smiled shyly. “I’ve enjoyed watching you. You look like a real cowgirl out there. It’s pretty amazing.”
Violet smiled back and tilted her chin down. “Thanks. I better be, with as many years as I’ve been here.” She winked. “And don’t worry. We’ve all fallen off a horse or two in our time.”
“But The Lone Ranger thing was new,” the teenage boy called from behind.
Violet stepped back and smacked him upside the head.
“Hey,” he cried, scowling at Violet. When he turned back to Scarlett, his smirk was back in place. “Lucas,” he said with a chin tilt. “I’m the youngest.” Bending over at the waist, he wiggled his eyebrows. “And the best-looking.”
Scarlett smiled and nodded. “Good to know.” She laughed lightly when he snapped his fingers and pointed at her.
Mr. MacMillan stepped forward slightly, his hat in his hands. His serious expression brought the jokes to an end. Mr. MacMillan’s knuckles were white and the edges of the hat were being crushed in his grip. “Ms. Dylan, I need to know if you want a doctor, or if you want to go home, or—”